CANADA – The Government of Canada is investing over $165 million in the Youth Employment Strategy (YES) starting this year through Budget 2016. The new investment will help create thousands of new green jobs, more summer employment, participation in the Skills Link program and employment in the heritage sector.
The investments will help support young Canadians, including vulnerable youth, such as Indigenous Canadians, immigrants, youth with disabilities, single parents, those who have not completed high school and others. Investing in youth jobs and opportunities is part of the government’s plan to help the middle class and those seeking to join it.
Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk made the announcement at the Barbara Mitchell Family Resource Centre in Winnipeg. The Centre recently received over $170,000 in Skills Link funding to help break down barriers to youth employment and provide needed training and job support. Under this project, local youth will participate in a 10-week work placement to gain hands-on experience. Skills Link is part of the Youth Employment Strategy.
Each year, the government invests more than $330 million in YES. The announcement is on top of the previously announced $339 million investment over three years under the Canada Summer Jobs program. The government will nearly double the number of job opportunities supported by the program to 70,000.
Additionally, Budget 2016 announced the creation of the Prime Minister’s Youth Advisory Council to provide advice on key issues such as employment and education, building stronger communities as well as climate change and clean growth. Budget 2016 also announced $105 million over five years, starting in 2016 – 17, and $25 million per year thereafter in support youth service. Finally, a new Expert Panel on Youth Employment will advise the government on innovative ways to strengthen labour market outcomes and create employment opportunities for vulnerable youth.
Quick Facts
- Since 2005, YES has helped over 772,000 young Canadians get the training and work experience they need to enter the labour market.
- Skills Link has helped over 230,000 youth since 2005.
- Canada Summer Jobs will create up to 70,000 jobs across Canada this summer, twice as many jobs as 2015. Applications from employers are up by over 30 percent this year.
- Canada’s current youth unemployment rate is 13.4 % (Statistics Canada, March 2016).
